Bronze
by Angel's Anthem
Summary: The Demon from the East sees her first. But, the Demon from the West wants her more. For the dark-faring brutes it's all fun 'n' games 'til someone loses the girl...
1. Forget the Fear

**Revised Edition ****  
**

* * *

**FORGET THE FEAR **

As the room began to darken, the eerie winds beat against the shutters in the dead of night while the adolescent watched the shadows in her room transform into disfigured fiends. The atmosphere was more compressed now and chilled; solidifying her breath as she trembled beneath her single sheet. The floorboards in her dreary bedroom screeched as a pair of heavy footsteps edged closer to where she lay, motionless with fright.

One step after another, they paced at the foot of her bedpost then curved around, growing more blatant as they walked nearer to her side.

Inwardly scolding herself, the teenager was obligated to slowly lean against the backboard of her bed; regretfully leaving the comfort of her tepid blankets. Gazing at the seemingly calm objects in her room, a warm breeze suddenly tickled the back of her neck.

Clenching her eyes shut, she drew up her cream bed sheets to cover her frosted nose. Following a shiver, a loud, shattering hiss shrieked in her right ear. She hollered out in terror when an unseen force kicked the bottom of her mattress, propelling her body into the air. She suddenly dropped against her hardened cot, back aching with an unsettling crack.

Lydia sprang up, stumbling from her bed to the opposite side of her room. Just as she pressed herself against the wall by her dresser, another jolt sent the bed up from the ground. Enveloping her head with her hands, she screamed and ran for the door; it being the only escape she had in sight.

Through the darkness, she reached for the brass knob, but the rattling door was slammed in her face before she could break for the hallway. To her relief, Lydia could faintly hear her brothers, stirring on the other side. Lydia wasn't given two seconds between scares before two clammy fingers traced the line of her spine. She spun around, seeing no one behind her. Frantically breathing, Lydia's heart pounded inside her chest, ringing loudly inside her ears.

For a brief moment, the room was frozen with a ghostly silence; dead silence. When Lydia could no longer bear the howling lull, she cried out, "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Everything surrounding her remained inert, allowing the dense atmosphere to vanish. Lydia reached for the light switch, which hovered above her head, with a trembling hand, but something with the consistency of metal slapped her hand away. She gasped in pain as a large, swollen whelp arose on the surface of her slender fingers. She jerked her hand away, cradling it closely to her chest as it throbbed with aggravating torridity.

Lydia bit her bottom lip in attempt to contain what horrifying shrills threatened to break the silence.

Losing her grip on reality, Lydia strained her eyes to peer through the growing darkness of her room. At this point, even the moonlight seemed to have been obstructed. Keeping her crippled hand tucked closely against her stomach, Lydia shivered in the cold. She carefully rested her head against the grappled door, feeling dull comfort in her brothers desperate efforts to eradicate the door.

The traumatized damsel couldn't determine whether it was the distressing chills she could feel violating her skin or the unseen forces that controlled them, but whatever was keeping her imprisoned wasn't quite done with its devilish play.

Lydia, quivering with sobs, wailed, "JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT!"

Suddenly, an unexpected abysmal growl rumbled, slicing through the silence and vibrating the ground. With Lydia's screams growing louder, she unconsciously pushed herself into a corner, rubbing each side of her head. She was drenched in her own tears and blistered by the cold. Through blurry vision, she watched as the extreme supernatural began to unfold in front of her innocent eyes.

Lydia's bed began to rattle. It gradually began to increase, causing a glass lamp to shatter and the books on their wooden shelves to scatter across the floor. Her comforter and sheets began to mangle together in a tight knot before being brutally flung from the mattress. Eyes widening with lingering fear and sudden amusement, Lydia began to see a faint mass, enveloped in darkness. Clasping her mouth in shock, she stared while it battled with another impenetrable brute.

They wrestled against each others vitality.

Shards of glass were thrown in all directions as if her room had created a mind of its own. A mix of ooze and blood seeped from the crevices of the four walls surrounding her. The still-spinning ceiling fan snapped and collapsed onto the destroyed bed, leaving the wires fully exposed.

Lydia shielded her head from the erratically showering sparks. Feeling a sensation burn the bottom of her foot, she darted for the door again. To her surprise it was unlocked. She thrust the door free and fled, only to be caught by a duo of arms.

Having left the horror behind, Lydia closed her eyes for a brusque moment. Sighing in relief, she opened her eyes, another wave of heavy sobs returning. It had been a facade- believing that she had embraced the warmth of her brothers' sanctuary. Fully aware, Lydia saw no one before her. She only heard the continued pleas disguised with her siblings' voices. Bursting out in another ear-piercing scream, Lydia bore her fingernails into the floor as her feet were knocked out from beneath her. She was then dragged back into the dark, where the entities lurked and possessed the unholy lust for blood.

When her legs were released, she traced her fingers across the embedded prints of whatever sharp talons had grabbed her. They began to bleed profusely. As quickly as her freedom was renewed, it was seized again. Lydia was snatched away, but this time she was suspended from the ground by her neck. Lydia gasped for air as the brutish force squeezed the life out of her body. Crushing her veins, Lydia clawed at the invisible fingers that were clasped around her neck. The room began to spin as her vision was sprayed with white stars.

Just when she had surrendered her consciousness, Lydia was impelled against her bed, only a heap of shredded fabric remaining. Bruised, Lydia's eyes fluttered while her skull snapped against the post. Feeling her body grow limp with fatigue, she carelessly succumbed to the pile of cushion. Already she could feel the ooze of thick blood streaming from the back of her head.

It soaked what was left of her pillow and flowed past her left cheek and tangled hair. Her body pulsed with numbness; it was exhausted and broken. Lydia managed an agonizing smirk.

_It_ wasn't finished with her.

A familiar set of talons pierced the soft tissue of her ankles. Feeling an urge to scream, Lydia braced herself for another painful assault, but her throat was sore with hoarse.

Her beaten body was pulled from the cluster and dragged away to God knows where.

**~O~**

Jason, eldest of two brothers, collapsed to the ground; his bare knees hitting the floor. He covered his mouth to avoid nausea as Robert followed up behind him, halting from his sprint. Their eyes adjusted to the unnaturally dark bedroom to a sickening sight. The covers, torn and tattered, were shoved beneath the baseboard of one wall. A deep gash had been carved into the center of the barren mattress, splattered with droplets of black mire.

The pillow had been untouched, but the surface was deluged in crimson.

They followed the faint nail marks that had been sketched into the wooden planks. The trail lured the brothers through Lydia's doorway before they vanished in the middle of the hallway.

"Rob, look downstairs. Check the basement!" Jason ordered.

A cry for help interrupted their search. Jason strained his ears to hear the cry again. He shivered as the screams continued, but couldn't pinpoint their origin.

Frozen, Jason's twin cut his eyes over to the air vent. Their initial response was to run toward it. Their actions were halted when a fist pounded against the wall beside them. Rob, closer to the wall than Jason, stumbled back, releasing a startled yelp when he hit the railing.

Again they heard the screech. Something walked above them, obnoxiously loud and heavy.

"The attic!" Without another inch of hesitation, they doubled back down the hallway.

Jason was the first to reach the back stairwell; three doors down from Lydia's room. He gripped the handle, and wasn't surprised when it wouldn't budge. He slammed his open hands against the door. It began to violently shake.

"Shit!" Rob cursed. "What the hell was that?"

The watched as the hinges shook loose, rumbling against the wall. They were reluctant to back away because the screaming continued. Blood-curdling cries split their ears. They ached with sheer panic while searching for another way to gain access to the attic; but to no avail. That door, cursed by hell itself, was the only way in or out of the attic. Within minutes, they were back to where they started, staring at the door.

"Come on!" Jason shouted. He pushed his brother out of the way to viciously jiggle the doorknob again.

There was one more faint shriek before the sound of breaking glass made the brothers jump out of their skin.

All was silent in the house. Jason glanced at Robert. They acted simultaneously, sprinting down the stairwell. They fear began to fade into anger. Where was their sister?! In the kitchen now, Jason crept over to the overlooking window while Robert fumbled the phone to dial 911.

"Dear God!" Jason gasped and darted through the front door.

There, lying in the middle of the front yard, was a motionless body; covered in bleeding cuts and purple bruises. Jason ran over to his sister, kneeling beside her broken body. He pressed to fingers against her neck and let out a sigh when he felt a slow, unsteady pulse. He sat there, pressing the child's body close to his chest.

She was unconscious.

Feeling the urge to sob, he released all of his fear in the form of streaming tears. His sister was alive, but a cold chill ran down his spine; almost as if an ugly witch scraped her long, dirty nails against his skin. He turned to face the direction of Lydia's fall. The attic window was shattered.

Whatever had done this hurled Lydia's body through the window.


	2. Follow Me

**Revised Edition**

* * *

**FOLLOW ME  
**|Three Years Later|

"Aright you guys! This is the last pit-stop before we get there!" Lydia was surprised at how high Jason could pitch his voice. It rang through the car like a siren. She smirked, shaking her head. That was probably his intention.

He parked the car and opened his door to step out. Sliding his credit card to pump the jeep with gas, she could see her brother sigh when the numbers began to rise. As if he could feel her stare, he turned, tapping on the glass. He smiled at her, mouthing something in regards to Robert who was sleeping on the other side. Drooling.

She smiled and flicked Jason's twin. Robert jumped, looking away from his vacant laptop screen. He scowled at the teenager while she snickered. Now that he had his attention, Jason motioned to Robert with his finger. Complying, Rob rolled down his window while pulling out one of his earphones.

Rob yawned, no doubt dusting his morning breath all over Jason. "Yeah?"

Jason gasped. "You want anything?"

"Nah, I'll get it." Rob deviously grinned. He held out his hand and widened his eyes. He flickered his eyebrows at his older twin and waited. Rolling his eyes, Jason reached into his back pocket, pulling out whatever cash he still had on him.

"Get some gum while you're at it. And ask if Lydia wants anything," Jason said before he returned to watch the numbers rise.

Unbuckling with his seat belt, Rob glanced over at his sister while she listened to her iPod; bobbing her head lightly to the muffled music. He poked her arm. In the midst of her turning her head to listen to him, he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of joy to see her so happy. It made his heart skip a beat.

"You rang?" Lydia pulled her legs up to recline them against the front-seat dashboard.

"Need anything?" he asked innocently, waving the cash in front of her face.

"M&M's!" Lydia said just before he left the car.

"Right. Skittles. Got it," he teased. Shaking her head, she returned her attention to the song that was reeling on repeat.

Jason returned to the driver's seat. He grunted in frustration. "Feet. Off the dashboard. Now."

Lydia's smile depressed into a thin line. He sounded exhausted. Lydia complied without a word. She watched as he rubbed his eyes, straining his neck to watch Rob leave the station's small convenience store. Lydie sighed, gazing out the window.

For as long as she could remember, Jason had taken the father role. He constantly worried. Rob acted as if he were truly her brother, almost always causing as much trouble as she did at times. Moving was the big issue. Jason insisted that it was necessary. She couldn't agree more. She could still recall the look of horror on his face when he told her what had happened to their old house; carried away by a tornado. She had come home from school to an empty lot that day.

Jerked from her thoughts, Rob returned to slam his door shut. He passed around the back and everyone took their snack. He pat Jason on the shoulder to give him the go-head, but not the rest of his change. Pulling out of the gas station, they continued their long journey; following a road that was enveloped in a thicket of pine trees. It wasn't like Nevada, where the air was dry and the landscape golden. Here, it was wet and humid with fog.

Before long, she had drifted asleep, unaware of how much her body needed a quick nap.

**~O~**

Jason opened her door. She was still groggy, her arms numb with a tingling sensation. He motioned for her to turn around. Groaning, she did ask asked, yawning as their new house came into complete view. She had to rub her eyes just to make sure what she saw was real.

It wasn't a house. It was a mansion. Though old and run down, it was magnificent in size. Very promising. Wooden boards had been nailed to a few windows without glass. Thick, brown vines tangled around the elaborate stone pattern that made up the structure of the house. Beautiful marble doors were decorated with stained-glass. To top it off, as Lydia's personal favorite, was the white-tiled balcony. It faced the bordering forest on the left side of the house.

The teenager hadn't even felt her smile. Her cheeks flushed when she turned to see her brothers smiling at her with pure amusement.

"Is this for real?" she asked in disbelief. Jason nodded. Squealing, she bolted for the front door. "I get to pick my room first!"

"What?! No! Age before beauty!" Rob went after her, chasing her light footsteps into their new home.

The siblings simultaneously smacked against the double doors, putting an abrupt end to their fun.

Jason snickered. "Not without the house key you're not." Pushing them aside, he slid the key into the slot provided, turning it three times before he heard the lock release. He quickly spun around, hand still wrapped around the knob in a tight grip. He put up a finger and gave them a towering look.

"Now, let's all be adults about this. No running and no sc-"

"Move old man!"

The chaos returned. Rob follow Lydia's lead into the house. It was in worse shape than she thought, but she was eager to sweep that thought to the back of her mind. Darting up the wide stairwell that fanned out in the front lobby, she skipped every two steps to enter the echoing hallway. upon glancing to her right and left, she gasped. There were too many rooms to count. She shrugged and continued on her way. This just gave her a better variety. Smiling, she already had her mind set on the room with the balcony. Fleeing to the opposite end, she approached a small, china door. It was antique. Beautiful. Disappointed that she might need a key to open the door, she reached for the handle.

It was already unlocked.

"Hey guys!" she hollered behind her shoulder. "I'm going to explore my new room!"

Lydia was unaware of Robert's presence behind her. "I wanted this room."

"You snooze, you lose," Lydia snorted. Rob took two steps into his sister's room and made a sarcastic whistle.

"Well, it's not the biggest room in the house..." Lydia wasn't sure why Rob's tone was unnecessarily serious. Rubbing the back of his neck, he tried to fake a smile. It reminded him too much of her old room.

"The balcony compensates for size," Lydia smiled. Rob's eyes shot wide.

"Balcony?!" Rob crossed his arms, desperately trying to avoid the old memories. "No. Way. It's a safety hazard." He could see the disappointment purge her smile. He needed to lighten the mood. "I'm telling Jason! There's not way he'll be fly with this!"

Lydia was amazed by his sense of childish humor. He'd be a good actor if he tried. Or a terrible one.

Rob disappeared from her room. She'd already claimed it. She was willing to argue all night to keep it too. Besides, this room was her style. It felt right. Suddenly, Lydia heard a loud rumble. The moving trucks were backing up into the driveway. She walked up to her grime-ridden windows and wiped away the dust. As if on cue, Jason's nagging voice rang through the house. He wanted her to unpack.

A few gentlemen were kind enough to carry up what she needed, and she wasted no time in rummaging through what she'd been able to recover. She spread out her crimson sheets, improvising a make-shift bed on the floor. There wasn't much left from the wreckage sight of their old home. The sheets were new. All she had left to unpack were a few books, a laptop, toiletries and her mother's jewelry box. She would have been devastated if she'd left it at home that day. Unsure of why she had brought it to school, Lydia accepted her unexplained luck. She never left home without it after that.

Jason appeared in her doorway. "I'm ordering pizza. Be down in twenty?"

She gave her brother a quick nod. When he left, she was off to explore the rest of the second floor...

**~O~**

"Well, one thing's for sure," Jason spoke with his mouth full, "The windows are shit."

Lydia giggled. A mouth-full of pizza made 'shit' sound like something totally different. "I can help."

He shook his head, eying her. "Too dangerous. Rob and I will handle it." He was always quick to dismiss her help. For anything.

Sighing, Lydia added, "And what will I be doing."

He thought for a moment before answering her. "I'll give you the key tomorrow and you can make sure we've opened on the doors. There are four floors, so I'm sure we missed a few."

Surprisingly, Lydia was satisfied with his compromise.

Finishing her dinner, Lydia quickly excused herself. She walked the creaky stairway, hesitantly gliding down the dark, eerie corridor. She noticed how some of the rooms didn't have doors. They suddenly way too uninviting. She had the unsettling urge not to pass them. Shaking her head, she decided it was love-hate relationship she had with horror movies talking. Cursing under her breath, Lydia stepped forward, willing herself to skip through the hall until she got to her room. Why couldn't it be near the stairs instead?

Overwhelmed with panic, she squealed, shutting the door behind her and flipping the lights on.

"Scary movies! Why you no love me back?!" Lydia asked the ceiling. Laughing, the teenager collapsed to the floor, enveloping herself with the sheets. It wasn't until she spread herself out that she realized how tired she'd gotten. Being on the road for so long, nap or not, was beginning to take its toll. Plugging in her earphones, she blared her music and silently sang along. Her eyelids grew heavier as the outside world disappeared to her music. The words began to slur together. She greeted sleep like a long, lost friend.

**~O~**

Jason opened the door to Lydia's room. He made a mental note to oil the hinges. He assumed she was sleeping having not heard from her since dinner. Suddenly, he felt his hairs swivel as Rob breathed down his neck.

"Is she asleep?"

"SHHH!" Jason cringed when Rob's voice split through the silence. "Why the hell are you being so loud?" Jason tried to sound stern, even while whispering.

"Sorry..." Rob whispered. He waited patiently behind Jason as he peered into Lydia's dark room. "Are you checking on her?"

"Lydia!" Jason cried out. The crimson sheets were scattered, but she was not there like he had imagined. "Where is she, Robert. I'm not playing!"

"What? Why are you asking me?! I- I don't know!" Rob could feel the fear radiate from his twin.

"Maybe if you weren't messing around all the time and started acting like a fucking adult, this wouldn't happen!" Robert glared at his brother.

"You can't blame this on me!" Jason scoffed at his words. Rob ran his fingers through his hair. "I thought this shit was over..."

"Don't you dare," Jason's voice was low, menacing, "bring any of that up. We moved here to get away from all of that!"

Robert was about to retaliate, but another voice overpowered theirs.

"Jason..." sang a female voice.

Immediately, the twins froze. Exchanging one glance confirmed that it was in fact Lydia. But uncertainty struck their faces for a brief moment; the voice was feminine, but it was edgy with something else; something foreign. They rounded the corner to see what looked like a closet. With a staircase. They followed, stopping just before the first step, peering up into the unknown. It led to an equally dark room, lit by only the swiveled rays of moonlight. The walls were draped with cob webs and wobbly wood panels.

"Jason..." sang the voice again.

Jason looked back at his brother before entering the small staircase; as if to make sure he wasn't alone. Reaching the top, he had to squint just to make out any shape or form. A scratching noise against the floor board caught his attention. He spun around, Robert in front now. Their eyes widened, losing all color in their faces when they saw Lydia. Naked. She swayed with her back completely exposed to them. She would occasionally tilt her head to the side before straightening her neck. They were silent, motionless.

When Jason couldn't take it anymore, he approached his sister.

"Lydia?" Jason swallowed. "Sweetheart?" Extending his arm to her, he placed his palm against her shoulder. She was bitterly cold. As she turned around, Jason quickly covered her body with his, wrapping her with his capable arms.

The girl hummed. "I like my room... a lot."

Jason made a poor effort to laugh. "That's great, baby." He picked her up and allowed her icy face to nuzzle against his neck. "Come on. You were just sleep walking."

Rob gaped. He wanted to believe she had been sleep walking. Yes. She had been sleep walking. There was no other logical explanation. Jason brushed past Rob's side with Lydia's exhausted body. Before descending the stairwell, Jason pressed up against Rob, his lips almost touching the edge of his ear.

"Not a word to her about this," Jason hissed. "Nail the door shut and throw away the key."


End file.
